


A World Without Me

by dreaming_of_snails



Category: Wandersong (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Angst, Kinda, Wandersong (Video Game) Spoilers, i'll definitely fix this in the future, i'm not too sure of how to tag this, i've never posted on AO3 before, im so sorry, it's more of a different ending, ive been dwelling on this idea FOREVER, kiwi just deserves better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:48:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22080568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreaming_of_snails/pseuds/dreaming_of_snails
Summary: Kiwi did what they could. They did everything the same. But, maybe it doesn't work. Maybe things aren't as clean cut as they seem.
Comments: 15
Kudos: 39





	A World Without Me

Everything went black. At least, that's the last thing Kiwi remembered. The emptiness, and the deafening silence. No one was there. They were alone. There was no one here. No one at all. Except them. … Kiwi didn't need someone to tell them what this meant. They knew. … They had failed, hadn't they? That's what this was. This is what it was like to be dead. They tried to call out- no, this couldn't be it. They couldn't have failed, right? They did everything they could. They sang the song! Everyone sang the song. Maybe it was just- taking a little longer! Maybe Eya was working on fixing everything. … That had to be it. She wouldn't let all of this be for nothing, right? She had to of seen how hard they tried! She had to care about the world. She had to. This couldn't be it. This couldn't be all there was. The darkness was so… well, dark. It was darker than anything they'd ever seen. It was the most absolute and terrifying thing. Kiwi hid their face in their hands for a moment, filled with a numbing dread- at least that was some sort of comfort. That they were still here. This couldn't be it. This wasn't it.

They tried to stand, only to find that there was no floor here in the blackness. As they… floated, for lack of better words, Kiwi tried to sing something. Anything. There was no sound that came out- they weren't even sure if that had anything to do with this nothingness, or if they simply couldn't bring themself to try. It felt like they'd been here an eternity already. Miriam was probably wondering where they were- …. Miriam. Oh, Eya, Miriam. Was she okay? Is she here somewhere? Or is she in her own pocket of nothingness? What about their mom? And their friends? The whole world? What was going to happen to all of them? They felt the fear, the worry, the guilt build up. They curled up, trying to cry. … Nothing happened. They felt like crying. They felt sad and they felt horrible. But they couldn't cry. That just made them feel worse. So, here they were. The bard who tried their hardest to save the world, and could do nothing. The bard who, in the end, really couldn't change anything. The bard who let everyone down.

… It could've been hours, or days, or simply minutes that they were there. It didn't matter. Kiwi wasn't one to give up hope easily. But this? This felt too final to be anything other than the End. They felt the sorrow and regret clawing away at them. The darkness eating at any of the hope that they had kept in the face of the End. Kiwi was so lost in the thought of it all being over, that they didn't notice the dull humming noise. No, what caught their attention was the sudden, if faint, glow of something… different. It was hard to explain. But it was just- not here. The light was warm, and comforting. Kiwi didn't question it, in the moment. They didn't care where it was from. Anything was better than this. The bard tentatively reached out to touch the light. It was warmer than they expected. And… solid, in a way. Not like an object, just… palpable. They pulled the light closer to them, drawing it to their chest. They stared down at it for a moment, before… just, hugging it. Clinging to it, as though it were the only anchor of their existence. In a way, it was. Deep down, Kiwi was certain that if they were to let go of it, they would be gone forever. Or worse, left alone in the darkness again.

Then, the light grew. Warmer, brighter, and… pinker. The sudden burst of light, brighter and more encompassing than before, was blinding. They had to let go of the light, to block their eyes. And then, Kiwi felt themself land on something… solid. They brought their arms away from their eyes, having to blink a few times, to adjust. … All the darkness was gone. They were somewhere again. Kiwi quickly sat upright, looking around. The sky was streaked with pale pinks, golds, blues- shades of every color imaginable, and then some. Stars drifted lazily in the distance, leaving glowing paths behind them. And the entire place just felt… warm. And safe. They took a deep, shaky breath, before they saw it. Before they saw…. her. Eyala.

In a dazed shock, they quickly jumped to their feet, resulting in them nearly toppling over, legs weak and aching dully from the sudden effort. "Y-you're-.... here…" Kiwi said, weakly. "Did- did we do it?? Where's Miriam??" Their words were quick and frantic, an obvious panic about them.

Eyala give Kiwi a small, yet sad, smile. "... You did something, Lil' B." The messenger told them, floating idly in the air.

"Something? But- did I save the world?? Did I stop the End???"

Eyala was quiet for a moment. It was brief, but the silence was far too long to be comforting. "You did what you could. And… it's amazing that you did it! But- …. it's not- perfect." Kiwi stared at her for a moment, with a puzzled look. Eyala caught on, and continued to explain, "Your world was very... broken, for lack of better words, Lil' B. … You saved what you could. Which was a lot! And Eya's done what she can to help you. But- it's not… quite your world anymore?"

The Bard was silent, trying to think over whatever that meant. "… Does that mean everyone's-…" Kiwi couldn't say it. The horror overwhelmed them. Somehow, the idea of being the only survivor was… worse than anything they could've imagined.

"They're all there, but… they're not the people you know." Eyala explained, softly.

"... Huh…???"

"It's… technically your world. But… without you." She said, "As if you didn't exist."

Kiwi listened to those words, intently. … As if they didn't exist? Their chest tightened at that. "Is-..... is Miriam there?" They questioned, weakly. They watched Eyala nod. "... What about my Mom? And- and all my friends, and-"

"Everyone. Everyone you know is there. Except you."

"... So- they don't… remember me? At- at all?"

She shook her head, "... I'm sorry, Lil' B."

… They didn't remember sitting down, or starting to cry. But that's certainly where they were now, legs pulled up to their chest. No one knew them. They… didn't exist. That was… something. That's definitely not news you… ever want to here. Their friends, their family, had no idea that they were even a person. They let out a choked sob, stifled by their near inability to breathe. They felt someone hug them- judging by the colorful glow that seeped in, even with their head in their arms, they knew it was Eyala. They… didn't react, at all. They weren't sure how to react. Kiwi was pretty sure the Messenger was talking, but they couldn't be bothered to listen right now. Not like they could if they tried. They were crying too much.

Kiwi wasn't sure how long they cried for. But it went on long enough that their head hurt, their eyes stung, and their breathing felt weak. Each time they drew in air, their chest trembled, and their breath faltered.

"Hey- … hey, it's gonna be alright, Lil' B…" Eyala said softly. Kiwi didn't answer her, but did lean into the hug a bit, as they drew their head away from their arms. "... You're one of the smartest people I've ever met. I know you'll figure it out. … I know you'll be alright." The words were… comforting, even if only slightly. … At least they had Eyala. 

"Is- …. istheworldstillgoingtoend?"

"No. You saved it, as far as any of that's concerned." Eyala told them.

Kiwi nodded a bit. … Well, there's that. "... Okay."

Eyala stopped hugging them, and returned to floating peacefully, looking at Kiwi. "... You can go, whenever you're ready. No rush." She told them.

"… Miriam-. I- I want to see Miriam." They mumbled weakly, looking up at Eyala. They wiped the lingering tears away, and- slowly- climbed to their feet. The Messenger nodded, folding her hands in front of her.

"Good luck, Lil' B. … I want you to know that I'm still so, so, so proud of you. … Even if it isn't perfect, you still did something that no one else could ever have done. You're real amazin', Lil' B." She smiled, giving them a small wave, as everything around Kiwi faded to white.

It remained like that for a long moment, before the white gave way to various shades of orange, yellow, and red. The bard felt a crisp breeze pass them by, picking up stray leaves with it. It shook the leaves still on the trees gently, and the golden afternoon sunlight filtered through. They felt overwhelmed- joy, fear, sorrow, and guilt alike. Kiwi carefully grabbed one of the leaves out of the air. It was a light, faded yellow by the petiole, giving way to orange, and finally a bright red at the tip. They looked it over for a moment, before carefully taking off their hat. Then, they tucked the leaf in behind the feather, making sure it was secure. Kiwi placed the hat back on their head, taking a deep breath. The air smelled of… many things. Autumn was the first that came to mind, as well as… something cooking. It smelled familiar. It took them a moment, to realize. It smelled like a house they knew. A small house in the woods by Delphi, that was home to two witches. Kiwi looked around, before spotting a bit of smoke through the trees. They swallowed a nervous lump in their throat, before taking off running.

Leaves and twigs crunched under their feet as they ran, closer to the smoke. They were immensely terrified, and incredibly excited. Kiwi only slowed down, when they saw the purple and yellow house peeking through the trees. They did their best to calm their breathing, as they drew closer to the house. … If Miriam really didn't remember them… what would they say? How do they explain?? They looked at the door before them for a moment, shutting their eyes. This is it. They raised a hand, and lightly knocked against the painted wood of the yellow door. Kiwi stood there, waiting for a long moment. They heard muffled voices behind the wood, but it was impossible to tell what was being said.

Then, the door creaked open. A taller girl stood there with a messy blue bob. She wore a purple dress, striped leggings, and a pink cape. But Kiwi didn't need to see any of that to know who it was. They opened their mouth, to say something. But, the bard was cut off. They should've expected the words. They knew what was going to happen. … But that didn't get rid of the pit in their stomach. It didn't make them feel any better.

"Uh. Who are you."

**Author's Note:**

> aauuugh i've never written and posted a fan fiction!! im super proud of this so far, and plan on continuing in the future!! it was really fun to do (and i'm so sorry kiwi). mostly finished this to spite my friend because he wrote a sad thing for a completely unrelated tgwdlm rp


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